Children helping save the Rainforest

Education
Children are the seedlings of tomorrow’s change. At Rainforest2Reef, we believe that children bring hope for a bright future, and thus we have developed several opportunities for students to become involved in our conservation efforts:

Education programs within the rainforest itself.

In Mexico, Rainforest2Reef recently coordinated a series of environmental education workshops to teach teachers and students in the Calakmul region about the importance of biodiversity in the Selva Maya. We also developed and distributed teaching guides and workbooks to engage the local communities in migratory bird and tropical forest conservation. The educational materials answered the following questions:

What is a tropical forest and what is its climate?
Which animals and plants inhabit a tropical forest?
How do you identify different bird & mammal species?
How have we changed tropical forests and what is needed to conserve them?

In addition, a tree-planting project was implemented in the town of Pustunich as a service learning project. See what the children of Pustunich are doing to protect the rainforest. Click here to view video.

Classroom fundraising in the US. Children and their teachers can become catalysts for a better planet by:

Sharing their knowledge with friends and family
Becoming more conscious consumers
Understanding how events thousands of miles away affect them locally

In the past year, members of the Rainforest2Reef team have been inspired by the fundraising efforts of young people in the United States. Please keep reading to learn more about two American students’ successful fundraising projects.

Illinois student protects 304 acres of Pristine Rainforest

In December 2007, Mallory N., a high school student from Illinois, hosted a fundraising event at a local indoor activity center. Mallory generated enough donations through ticket sales and a silent auction to protect 304 acres of the Selva Maya rainforest. To publicize the event, Mallory and her team designed and printed posters and sent a press release to local newspapers.

Cameron gets Creative to Protect “Cool” Animals

In November of 2007, Cameron L., a third grader from Washington State, successfully collected enough donations to protect 25 acres of rainforest. When we asked Cameron why he wanted to help Rainforest2Reef, he said:

“I wanted to raise money to save the rainforest because I love all of nature – animals, plants, everything. I especially love the rainforest! It has the coolest animals, like the jaguar and green anole. Rainforest plants and animals would become extinct without their habitat.”

Rainforest2Reef, PO Box 735, Tahoe City, CA 96145
TEL: (650) 430-4089 | info@rainforest2reef.org